


Lips, and Eyes, and Stars, Oh My

by merlins_sister



Category: Castle
Genre: Humour, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-11
Updated: 2012-06-11
Packaged: 2017-11-07 12:25:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/431174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlins_sister/pseuds/merlins_sister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castle calls Esposito pretty and survives to tell the tale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lips, and Eyes, and Stars, Oh My

**Author's Note:**

> Written by text to entertain my lovely beta vic_amy_z because she appreciates the pretty. Follows on from her wonderful Castle/Franklin and Bash crossover ‘All in a Day’s Work’.

CASTLE / ESPOSITO - A Romance By Text

 

There was something to be said for making Esposito angry. His eyes shone the darkest brown and his lips curled up at the corner in a way that was far too intriguing. If Castle wasn't careful, he could just reach out and gently press them down with his fingers... 

*

"Castle, what the hell are you looking at?" 

Castle realised with a start that in his fascination with Esposito's lips, the cop had a chance to turn his wrath on him; Ryan looked on in relieved sympathy at having a breather from attempting to calm his partner down. 

"Umm..." Castle managed. 

"Seriously, is the whole precinct losing it today?" Esposito demanded before stalking off to the break room, no one mentioning that he seemed to be the one losing it. 

Castle gestured after him, turning slightly to Ryan. "Do you...?" 

He was stopped mid question by a "Dear God, no." This seemed to mean to Castle, ‘feel free’. Taking a deep breath Castle, as a friend of course, followed Esposito into the break room. He truly didn't expect anything too bad to happen. 

*

Castle walked into the break room to find Esposito assaulting the coffee machine. Even in his distracted state, Castle couldn't let that carry on. "Hey! No need for that!" 

Esposito turned from his act of violence, gestured at the frothing wand and said, "This isn't working." 

"You do that to it and it won't," Castle replied, narrowly avoiding too many Freudian slips. "You need to treat it..." 

"I swear, Castle, if you say 'treat it like a lady' I will swing for you." 

Castle considered his words before replying, "No, you need to treat it like a delicate piece of equipment." And before he stumbled over any more Freudian slips, he took the milk jug from Esposito and turned to the machine. 

*

Castle busied himself with the frothing of milk so he could at least attempt to ignore Esposito glowering next to him, arms crossed, lip curled... were those biceps straining under his sweater? The milk answered for him by exploding slightly. Castle tried to focus. "So, how do you feel about the classic 'do you want to talk about it'?" 

Esposito didn't say anything for a moment. Then "No, I don't. Do you?" 

Castle glanced up from the milk and considered his answer. "Not really, though I would like to make a comment." Esposito raised a disturbingly Beckett-like eyebrow. "You're very pretty when you're angry." 

*

Esposito didn't say anything for a moment and Castle could feel a slight panic rise at the thought of upsetting an armed cop. Just as he thought he should leave the coffee and make a run for it, Esposito's face finally broke out in a grin. Feeling safe for the moment, Castle risked handing his companion hot liquid in the shape of a coffee before turning and picking up his own. 

"Pretty, huh?" 

Castle took a sip of his coffee before replying, "Your eyes get all glinty." 

This was rewarded by a snort from Esposito. "Didn't think you would notice." 

"It's a writer thing." Castle glanced up, taking in how Esposito's lips still curled, but now in amusement, and how his eyes still shone, but now with the warmth of an emotional thaw. Castle worked hard not to put a hand on his arm in a gesture of... something. 

*

"So what was with all the verbal stomping out there?" Castle ventured gently. "You and Lanie had a run in?"

"Nah, we're fine," Esposito replied calmly, seemingly not noticing that Castle had opened up the topic he'd said he didn't want to talk about. 

"What about the guy hitting on Ryan?" 

Esposito snorted his entertainment. "Nah... 'sides, Ryan always has this great look of 'oh no, not again' on his face." Castle joined him in the entertainment. "I mean he can't help..." Esposito trailed off and before Castle could ask anything further, Beckett burst through the door. 

*

"Where's Ryan?" she demanded. 

"In the bullpen last time we saw him," Castle replied, glancing through the window of the break room. She stalked on past them, calling out Ryan's name as she exited by the other door. Castle considered his partner. "Do you think Ryan is in trouble?" he asked Esposito.

"Hard to tell with Beckett at the moment," Esposito replied. Castle glanced at his companion, momentarily cursing his partner's bad timing, knowing that Esposito had just been on the verge of saying something important. As a friend. Because Castle had always wondered... did cops have 'don't ask, don't tell'. And if they did, did it apply to him? 

*

Castle turned to face Esposito. "You know you can talk to me about anything. Not a cop. No judgement. Won't tell Beckett or Ryan either." 

Esposito didn't say anything, his eyes dazzling dark, and Castle could see the internal debate going on inside. He wanted to reach out and reassure the other man that he meant what he said, and that he didn't really have any ulterior motives. But a) Esposito was still an armed cop and b) with perfect timing, Ryan came charging through the break room door.

*

"Hey," said Ryan. "Why's Beckett yelling my name?" 

The other men shrugged. "She's looking for you," Castle replied. 

"Yeah, but why?" Ryan asked, shifting from foot to foot. "I mean, I was the one who gave her the lead she followed up." His head went up as he heard his name called out again. "If she asks, you haven't seen me," he said, disappearing out of the door. 

Castle took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Esposito. 

"I don't need a confessor, Castle." 

"Not offering," Castle replied. "Just a friendly ear... from someone who understands..." Esposito eyes flashed surprise and vulnerability as he considered Castle. The desire to reach out was getting overwhelming. 

"Castle..." Esposito managed before both of their partners crashed through either door of the break room. 

*

"Oh for god's sake!" Castle cursed. Beckett glanced at him in confusion before turning her attention to Ryan who was providing a good impression of flight or fight. 

"Where have you been?" she asked him. 

"Doing stuff," Ryan replied eyeing his senior detective nervously, only just about holding his ground as she stalked over to him, planting a great big kiss on his lips. 

*

Castle would have laid a large bet that he and Esposito were as surprised as Ryan by Beckett's action. 

"Beautiful man!" she exclaimed. "Your deductive skills at the moment..." She thrust his coat into his hands. "We need to go find a judge for a warrant," she continued before pushing him towards the door. 

"We NEED to discuss your caffeine intake again," Ryan muttered as he pulled the door open. There was an impatient "Tsk" from Beckett before they disappeared. 

There was a moment of silence before Castle commented "Is it my imagination or is Beckett kissing the short, cute ones at the moment?" 

"The taken, short, cute ones you mean," replied Esposito. 

"How do you know the other guy was taken?" 

Esposito eyed him. "Come on, that is an easy one, especially for us." Castle realised with a slight intake of breath that his hint had been met, and raised. Did he have the stakes to back it up? 

*

Castle held out the beer to Esposito who took it from him as he slid on to a stool at the breakfast bar. Even though Beckett and Ryan were safely off chasing judges, Castle had made the call to change venues, a conversation of this delicacy needed to be somewhere quiet. He just hoped his mother and Alexis would stick to being away for the weekend, not that he wouldn't put it past the universe to send them back. 

"So, how long have you known?" Esposito asked. 

Castle considered him. "About me or you?" 

"Either." 

"Me... since I was about 15... Mother called it 'having a mixed appetite'. You...? Not sure... you hide it well." 

"Well, going into the army taught me that." 

"But you strike me as someone who is comfortable with it, so why the outburst today?" 

Esposito gave him one of his long considering stares before replying, "Have you ever known what it's like to feel invisible?" 

*

Castle didn't consider himself over dramatic, despite what Beckett said, but he truly felt like his heart would break at Esposito's words. "Javier... you are not invisible. You could not BE invisible." Esposito managed a slight chuckle. Castle shifted slightly before saying, "I'm going to have to make the obvious call... is this about Ryan?" 

Esposito's eyes sparkled slightly but said, "I know I'm territorial but no, he isn't my type in that way. And you don't have to worry about letting anything slip to him about my 'mixed appetites'. Or Beckett. They both know." For a moment, Castle felt a flash of jealousy that he hadn't been taken into the secret. Esposito gave him a knowing look. "You... I knew you would work it out eventually. Once I trusted you." 

At those words Castle couldn't resist any longer and reached over. 

*

Castle placed his hand gently on Esposito's, wondering as he did if he was stepping way over the mark. To his surprise Esposito merely placed his free hand on top. 

"I don't know, Castle. Everyone seems to be moving forward; Ryan's got married, Beckett is changing, I've lost count of family that have changed their lives or had something big happen to them. Me... I just don't change. It's like the universe forgot me."

"Hence feeling invisible," Castle realised. 

"And before you say anything I know you can't just wait for things to happen. Lanie and I were good for a while, but we didn't go anywhere." Esposito let out a deep sigh and Castle tightened his grip. 

"I s'pose the question is, what do you want?" Castle said, not expecting the look Esposito gave him when he looked up again. 

*

Castle had never seen Esposito look so vulnerable and he truly didn't know what to do.

"I want..." Esposito started. "I want... more." He laughed lowly. "Helpful, yeah?" 

Castle considered his words. "Well, I would think job is okay, and friends are okay?" He stopped to check he was right, receiving a reassuring nod. "So, you want to be more than just a good friend and a good cop... good son, good brother." Esposito nodded again, his eyes averted from Castle as he tentatively headed to where he thought the problem lay. "You want to be special, to one person... more than good... special." Esposito swallowed slightly and Castle had to be careful with how voluble his intake of breath was. "How can I help you with that?" he eventually asked, hoping for another look to give him the answer. 

*

Esposito turned finally to look at him, a slight narrowing of his eyes making Castle slightly nervous. "How are things between you and Beckett?" It was a fair question, considering the unspoken question behind it. 

"We're good," Castle managed. "But nothing more." Was he right to say such a thing? Was he answering the right question? 

Esposito's gaze softened, his eyes widening again before pulling away from Castle. "I should get back to the precinct." 

"Okay," Castle managed, surprised by the action, but immediately sympathetic. After all was he certain what he was offering? Someone who was a friend, who understood. Or had he stumbled on realising he had also found someone who could be more for him too? 

Esposito stood up and for a rare occasion in his life Richard Castle didn't know what to do until Esposito turned to him. "You coming with me?" 

Castle truly didn't know. 

*

The afternoon at the precinct should have gone quickly, Beckett and Ryan's warrant allowing a search that unearthed that bit of information that they had been looking for. For once though, Castle felt himself distracted. It was entertaining enough to watch Ryan's monitoring of Beckett's caffeine intake without her realising. But that was only as a distraction so that he wouldn't be too obvious at watching Esposito who, although noticeably calmer, also seemed to have pulled away from him. 

It wasn't until they were packing up to go home in the evening that Esposito even seemed to look at him directly, and his fear that he had opened up too much too quickly lessened. As a grateful Ryan escaped the precinct and Beckett headed to the gym, Esposito finally spoke. "Want to grab a beer?" 

Castle could only answer one way. 

*

Esposito had, Castle decided, the capacity to look very smug. When he had asked him where they should go for a beer, Esposito's answer of "your place" obviously surprised him, the look on his face entertaining his companion no end. The smug look remained as, for the second time that day, Castle handed him a beer. The look needed a response. 

"Had you been planning that answer all afternoon?" 

Esposito grinned. "Kind of." 

Castle tried to glare at him but it had about the same affect as on Beckett. They clinked their beers together in an acknowledgement of that moment before moving to the couch. "You seemed better this afternoon," Castle ventured. 

Esposito took a sip of beer before replying, "Probably been needing to talk about some of that stuff for a while." He paused. "Thanks." 

Castle took his own sip of beer before replying, "Anything I can do to help." Esposito merely raised an eyebrow.

*

"What?" Castle hedged. 

Esposito considered him. "Anything, huh?"

"Well..." Castle paused, deciding a grab at honesty would probably be worthwhile now. "I suppose it depends a bit." 

"On what?" 

Castle could feel his heart beat start to speed up but he forced himself to reply. "On whether you're asking for friendship things or..." He trailed off, not quite able to be specific, suddenly feeling like he was taking advantage of his friend at a vulnerable time. 

"The 'other than a friend' option is a complicated one," Esposito commented after a few moments. 

"It is that." 

"There are other people to consider," he continued. 

"Yes, there are." Castle lifted his eyes to meet his companion's. "Which is why I would truly do anything as a friend, but nothing as anything else, if that's what you want." 

For a moment there was silence and then a rustle of fabric as Esposito closed the distance between them.

*

Men's lips were always rougher in Castle's experience, none of the softness of lipsticks and lip balm. They felt firmer too, and he had forgotten how much he missed the rough contact of two stubbled faces coming together. The kiss was tenderer though than he expected from Esposito, the masculine taste not disguising the gentleness with which their lips were touching. 

Castle wrapped a hand around Esposito's waist, not pulling him too close, but enough to show he was content to deepen the kiss, lips parting moments later as both parties hit the right moment together. The same way they both found the right time to stop. The two men looked at each other. 

"You okay?" Castle asked when Esposito didn't say anything. 

"I'd forgotten what a man feels like," Esposito said simply. 

"And was it as good as your memory?" Castle asked, hating to sound like a girl in the need for reassurance. 

The smile was broad. "Yeah."

*

Castle tousled his hair dry with a towel as he wandered into the kitchen, stopping in surprise at the sight by the couch. Esposito, towel wrapped around his bottom half from their shower, stood over the couch, gently pummelling a pillow. 

"What are you doing?" 

Esposito looked up. "Making it look like I slept on the couch in case Alexis comes home early." 

Castle didn't know if he was touched that Esposito would consider his daughter like that or amused. He decided a mixture of the two. "And you walking around half naked?" Castle asked. 

"Can be explained," Esposito replied, wandering over to the kitchen, "with something other than the truth." 

"She'll be okay with it," Castle reassured the other man. 

"Maybe, but you said yourself she has never known that you fall for men too." 

"Who said I'm falling?" 

Esposito raised an eyebrow and Castle knew that it was a stupid question.

*

 

Castle decided avoidance was the best form of defence so rather than answer Esposito he picked up his phone, quickly dialling a number. Esposito looked on in curiosity. 

"Hey, sweetie. How are things at the spa?" He listened to his daughter's enthusiastic reply, summing up for the benefit of his audience, "So no plans for coming home early? Just let me know tomorrow when you're due so we can do dinner... love you too." He hung up and turned to Esposito. "Satisfied?" 

His lover grinned, his face more relaxed, unable to resist, "Almost."

Castle took in the smug look and the innuendo in the answer, and felt determination run through him. Castle had discovered there was one guaranteed solution to this so pushed Esposito up against the fridge... again.


End file.
